The synovial joints of the human foot.

The human foot is considered an organ with an assortment of tissues with different morphological characteristics and well defined limits, but effectively has a simple functionality when static that becomes extremely complex when in movement. Its complex structure, comprised of an elastic and resistant skin covering a bone framework, joints, muscles, tendons, veins and nerves, can be compared to an efficient mechanical assembly. After a long and extraordinary evolutive journey, the human foot has undergone numerous changes to perfect its function; it has lost most of its grabbing function whilst gaining new characteristics that have ultimately allowed the modern man to stand upright.

Approach to the study of human anatomy.

The first thing to do to describe the human body is to define the anatomical position and the bilateral symmetry which characterise every Metazoi (man included) and permit us to study the body in its two symmetric halves; the left and right sides are the result of a virtual cut on a vertical and median plan. This is followed by a resume of the general structures and the vocabulary of the outer shapes of the human body; its direction (it will be helpful to use the virtual geometric parallelepiped made by three couples of planes one orthogonal to the other); levels of structural organization (chemical, cellular, tissue, organ and the system level; the highest is the organism level). After that, rules and principles are enunciated in the four fundamental laws of anatomy regarding the organ structures and their systems studied by the surface, gross (macroscopic), systemic, regional and constitutional type anatomy.